Apparatus for manufacturing producer-gas.



. PATBNTED OGT. 30,1905, W. H. ADAMS}; P. POWELL. APPARATUS FOR-MANUFACTURING PRODUCERGAS,

APPLICATION nun) JUNE so, 1904.

A 1H W w n A M w W FI E- IL H. ADAMS also r uinniiion",'aow L "oFiPoRr AN crimes.

ass enons OFTWENTY-FIVE ONE HUNDREDTHs TO SAID ADAMS; FIFTEEN()NE.-HUNDRED'IHS l'lO:-='S A-I D POWELL, AND SIXTY one.

WHUNDREDTHS To run t??? EE i MP N 3' CO P RA E?? j APPABATUS F'on MANUFACTURING. PnoDuoER-eAs.

' nesaaeei i 5 I --B e it known that, we, WILLIAMH. ADAMS and JFRE ERI K] EowELL, citizens of the United- States, residing in Portland, inthe 5 county oiMultnoniah and State of Oregon, have invented-a-new and useful Improve- .-ment inApparatus' for Manufacturing Producer-Gas, {Of which the following is a specifi- 1o 1 Our invention relates to the new apparatus 'for the continuous manufacture from any substance containing sufficient carbon for the purpose-such as; peat, sawdust, wood, coal,

. or coke or ,from any of these substances mixed withpetroleum, tars, asphaltum, &c., 3 in proper proportions-rot what is generally ,known asproducer-gas. r

O'ur invention is intended to supply a less expensive and self-contained and a generally :0 more useful type of gas-producer than has heretoforebeen built-and onewhich is adapted to be continuous and ositive in its opera- ;com osition.)

:5 Y T e construction of our new form of generator'will be understood from-the accompanyin drawings, in which-- 7 igure 1 1s a vertical section on-the line A B of Fig. 2, and Fig. 2is a horizontal section on the line O'DOf'Fl .-1. v p

. The chamberl ofthe generator is preferably elliptical in form and is elongated at the base just above'the grate T, so as to form an increased area .at the zone of incandescence. In this manner we .insure an additional mass of fuel in this zone, which we find desirable to thorou hly decom ose and fix the products of combustion an the volatile constituents of the fuel. The fuel isfadmitted to the chamber of the generator b the feed device I S, the operation of which will understood. S re resents 'a valved feeder through which .liqui hydrocarbons mail be admitted to the generator for enriching t e gas. A water-seal ash-pan is shown at V and W is an air-inlet having ports w," through which the air passes to the fuel.

is the outlet for the gas, and, as will be seen it isin the same horizontal plane prac- 5o tically-as the air-inlet.

. add tional air-inlet for-supplying Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 30, 1904. Serial No. 214.711

tions and capable-pf ma 'ng gas of umform' receives no r mmed out. so. 1906.

ately below the ports w. N is a vertical diaphragm placed transversely across the bottom of .the generator below the grateand extending downward into the water. in the ash-pan. This diaphragm limits the area of the Igratethrough'which air and steam are apphedby the inlet W and forms a close {IIIHOtlOII at its ends with the depending skirt which surrounds the grate-space and extends down into the water of the ash-pan.

air through that portion of the grate immedi- This skirt effects the water seal with the ashpan. and prevents the entrance of the air to the bottom of the ate'except such as is admitted by the air-in et above described. The

air and steam admitted through the portion of the grate described pass at first upward andfthen horizontally toward the gas-outlet X inthesame manner as the air from the side inlets W.

Z're resents a steam-inlet enterin the airpipe at a oint close to the b0 yof the generator, an Y represents poke-holes.

The effect of thediaphragm, which limits the under grate blast or draft to a portion only of the grate area, and the locatin of the air-inlets w in advance of the plane of t e diaphragm is to divide the zone of incandescence 1nto two substantially distinct and separate portions. That portion of the fuel in front of the lane of the diaphragm, if extended vertica y, is subject to the direct blast or ,draft and undergoes complete combustion at once.

That portion of the fuel behind the plane of the diaphra In. and nearest the gas-outlet ect to the action of the hot products of comusti'on from the front portion. The fuel in this second or posterior ortion of the zone of incandescence is thus eated and brought carbonic oxid. I

Our practlce 1n making producer-gas. with irect blast or draft, but is subinto a state of incandescence in which it acts I this ty e of generator is substantially as'follows: he generator is first filled to a sufiie cient height above the grate with wood to act as kindling. On top of this is added suflicient fuel of any desired character to bring thelevel somewhat above the gas outF ZOO let. The fire is then lighted through the poke-holes and increased by natural draft or the application of a gentle blast-through the pipe W. All openings in the top of the generator are then closed substantially air-tight. The fuel in the anterior portion of the generator ignites quickly up to the level of the gasoutlet, and the fuel in the posteriorportion is rapidly thereafter brought into a state of incandescence, so that the production of producer-gas is begun. As soon as this is accomplished(ten or fifteen minutes being usually suflicient) the blast is increased and a regular feed of fuel is begun, care being taken to prevent the escape of gas at the to of the generator. The entire body of the fuel be tween the the gas-outlet is bi'ought to a state of incandescence and afterward maintained in that state, so that a steady output of the gas can be obtained through the same and. the quality" of the gas be always within control of the operator by choice in the lrind and in the quantity of fuel, the volume of air applied,

and the amount of moisture in the fuel or ap lied in the form of steam at Z.

n thisoperation the reactions take place as in other producersnamely, the union of theoxygen of the air with the carbon or hydrogen of the fuel, producing carbonic acid and water-va or, these being decomposed in their passage orizontally across the bottom ,,of the generator through the bed of incandescent fuel and escaping through the gasoutlet X in the form of carbonic oxid and hydrogen with the usual percentage of nitrogen and a small amount of the other elements always found in roducer-gas. In

addition to this the volati e constituents of descent fuel are at once converted into fixed gases, the moisture being converted into water-gas and the tars split up into permanent gaseous hydrocarbons and carbonic oxid.

' ;The bed of fresh fuel above the zone ofineandescence, which is a very important fea ture ofour invention, is renewed, of course, as fast as it settles into the zone of incandescence, and the form of the apparatus is such as to make it easy to maintain a constant renewal of the fuel and the withdrawal of the ash as fast as required, so as to maintain a uniform continuation of the process. It also enables us to maintain a zone of incandescence of uniform de th and extent, and by the exact regulation o the volume of air and the amount of fuel we are enabled to insure a constant high temperature, and therefore a "rate and the plane of thetop ofconstant percentage of gas from a known quantity of fuel.

It is also practicable in our invention to add to the bed of fresh fuel additional fuel rich in volatile hydrocarbons-sucli as cf'udc petroleum, asphalt, &;c.which by their rapid volatilization enrich the gas to any desired extent. These may be added with the solid fuel or separately, as desired, through the feeder S under proper control, or they may be supplied with an. absorbent fuel, such as sawdust, and fed therewith.v These volatile hydrocarbons become iixed gases in their passage through the zone of incandescence. Where the gas is lean in. COD'lbliStllDlGS, we may in this manner enrich it to any desired extent during its manufacture, and this pro cedure is not feasible or practicable in other processes of manufacturing producer-gas.

It is evident that the posterior portion of the chamber P of the generator performs a different function from the anterior portion and that we have, in effect, combined in one chamber the primary gas-generator and a secondary regenerator, with manifest economyand simplicity in the apparatus and. increased efficiency in the method of operation. This secondary regeneratorrequires no periodical blowing up to maintain the fuel in a' state of incandescence sufliciently hot to accomplish the required reaction, such as is necessary with a second chamber for regenerating and fixing the products from the first chamber, nor is itnecessary that the draft be reversed at intervals, as is the common practice where two generators are employed and are so connected that each generator may in its turn act as a primary producer and as a regenerator.

' The operation can be carried on continuously or intermittently at will and can be practiced in a single producer, and we obtain with one generator all that is accomplished by the more expensive producer lants heretofore used with. their duplication of parts. The gas produced, which of course may vary somewhat in its constituents, is, however, substantially free from objectionable constituentssuch as tars, volatile substances, and water-vaporand can be atonce utilized for heating boilers or for metallurgical work, or it can be cleansed in the usual manner at less expense and with no appreciable loss of valuable constituents.

While our apparatus has been devised with more special, reference to the manufacture of I producer-gas, we do not wish to be limited to such use by our claims, as the apparatus is also adapted to be used in the manufacture of illuminating-gas.

We claim- 1. The gasenerator having a fuel-chamber receiving the fuel at its center and having a forward horizontal extension and also having its air-inlet at the anterior end and its outlet at the posterior end, and both the in let and the outlet being located in a plane below the top fuel-level in the chamber, whereby ahorizontal zone of incandescence is established through the chamber, the anterior portiorf of which acts as a enerator and posterior t I D portlon as a regenerator.

2.,The gas-generator having a fuel-chamher which is long in the direction of the draft,-

and has all its air-inlets at the front end and its outlet at'the op osite end and said inlets and outlet being a 1 located at a level below the top plane of the fuel, w'herebya horizontal zone of incandescenc e is established through the chamber, the anterior portion whereof acts as a generator and the posterior portion as a regenerator.

3. The gas-generator for manufacturing .gas,. having a horizontally-elon ated fuelchamber ada ted" to receive a long, horizontal body of fuel, and its air-inlets all opening into the anterior portion and the outlet ,0 'ening from the posterior portion of the chamber, the direct access of air being wholly cut off from ,the posterior portion ,of the chamber, and said inlets and the outlet being all'ilocated below the top of the. fuel and at the same level, whereby the anterior portion I of the chamber acts as a and the posterior acting on the pro ucts of combustion from the anterior portion. I 4-. In a as-producing enerator, the combination o a grate, an as r-pan, a depending skirt surrounding the grate-space and extending into the Water in the pan, and a vertical dia 'hragm dividing the space inclosed by the sfiirt.

. 5. The gas-producing generator, having in combination a grate, awater-seal ash-pan, an inlet admitting air-through the seal, and a diaphragm for shuttin off the air so admitted from a portion oftie grate.

prmiary generator,

ortion as a -regenerator,'

6. The gas-producing generator having in Y vcombination a grate, a water-seal ash-pan,

an inlet admitting either air or steam throu h the seal, and, a diaphragm for shutting off t e air or steam so admitted from a portion of the grate. I r v WILLIAM ADAMS. FREDERICK POWELL.

Witnesses ZERA SNow,

S. L.- BRENNAN, 

